


The Eyes Are The Windows To The Soul

by TBCat



Series: Naruto Femslash Week 2018 [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/F, Naruto Femslash Week 2018, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-05 00:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15852342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TBCat/pseuds/TBCat
Summary: Ino stops growing unnecessary amounts of pink pink roses and chrysanthemums and begins to grow bushels of lavender, bluebells, and nightshade.





	The Eyes Are The Windows To The Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Memory
> 
> This is a day late, and its a bit abstract from the prompt, but I think its my favorite of this series so far!

“You have a thing for strays,” Shikamaru says one day after training.

Ino feels very mature when she only responds by flipping him off and saying, “I put up with you, don’t I.”

Choji ruins it by answering seriously, “You do.”

* * *

 

Hinata isn’t doing well without Naruto around for her to stalk. Ino pretends to be surprised that Naruto and Sasuke’s absence from the village so dramatically effects the social dynamics of her peers, but both she and Shikamaru know that Ino’s social intelligence is comparative to his own strategic intelligence. 

So Gai’s team runs itself ragged competing against a rival that they can’t actually challenge. Ino’s boys mope without Naruto drawing them out of their shells, and there is no Sasuke to set the curve for Shikamaru’s slacking. Kiba despairs and compares himself to the ninja that should be dead last, and Shino continues to be forgotten. 

Sakura forgets about Ino without the thrill of competition binding them, and Hinata withdraws into the image her clan expects instead of the ninja Naruto inspires in her. 

Then, Sakura is somehow inspired to improve herself, and she doesn’t even include Ino as she chases an apprenticeship with the god-damned godaime Hokage herself. Sometimes Ino lies in her bed and thinks about how ironic it is that Sakura gets everything she wants yet is never satisfied, instead of thinking about petal pink hair, lips, cheeks, and thighs. 

Shinobi are just as sexist as their civilian clients, no matter how they hide it behind labels like kunoichi. Ino knows this when Asuma forgets that Kurenai could kill him before Asuma could react, and she knows this when a stony eyed branch Hyuuga leads a quiet footed Hinata into Ino’s class on introductory medical ninjutsu. 

Shizune is kind, busy, and easily distracted. Hinata is placed next to Ino and given a half-dead fish, a half-explanation, and her escort’s expectation of immediate success. 

Ino makes a production of the hand signs and chakra manipulation necessary to circulate the blood through her fish’s body. Hinata is at least as observant as any Hyuuga, and easily copies Ino. Ino almost wishes she wasn’t so kind hearted as the blood pumps through Hinata’s fish exuberantly and bursts into the air and over the two girls.

Ino frequently wishes for many things. 

She dramatically praises Hinata for her instant success and distracts both Hyuuga’s present with exaggerated stories about her own struggles with medical jutsu. 

Shizune is rushing towards the mess, so Ino grabs Hinata’s arm and calls out, “We’re gonna go clean up at the hot springs! I can tell Hinata everything you’ve taught me so far, too!”

Shizune agrees distractedly and frowns at the new mess she has to deal with. Ino has the best ideas. “Do you need Hyuuga-san’s help cleaning up, Shizune-sensei?” she asks. Ino has always been skilled at avoiding the need for permission, apologies, or escorts.

Hinata has never been skilled at expressing her own opinion. 

Ino knows her own faults. She is brash, flighty, and mercurial. More irritatingly, Ino frequently follows her own desires and then has to deal with the fallout those desires grant her. 

It’s an awkward time of day, and the hot springs are empty. Ino peels off her clothes and lets down her hair before turning to see if Hinata needs help out of her bulky jacket. She doesn’t. 

Hinata is meticulously folding her bloody clothes, pale skin bare and flushed in the heat of the locker room. Her hair hangs in a smooth dark curtain over her face, and caresses small of her back. Hinata’s core muscles flex with hidden power as Hinata straightens and glides with a Hyuuga’s silent regality towards the bathing pools. Ino takes a deep breath and grabs her towel and soap with unnecessary bluster.

Fish blood is messy and stinks, but it is easy to wash themselves clean. Ino finger combs her wet hair and watches Hinata from the corner of her eyes. 

Sakura was Ino’s first crush. She was the flower, and Ino fancied herself as the sun. So Ino nurtured Sakura, and when she bloomed Ino was hurt that Sakura didn’t need her anymore. 

Hinata isn’t a flower. Hinata is the trick reflection in a pool of water. She stands with her back as straight as Ino’s own, but its due to training instead of confidence. Ino’s hair is a pale glide of captured light, but Hinata’s long hair is the carefully maintained darkness of night. Ino’s eyes are the pupiless Yamanaka mirrors, reknowned for seeing through and capturing their opponent’s mind and soul. Hinata’s eyes are opaque mirrors that reflect the physical world around her in crystal clarity. 

Hinata catches Ino’s gaze and tentatively asks what Ino is thinking about. 

Ino smiles brightly and replies, “We have to see each other more, Hinata!”

* * *

 

Hinata catches Ino by surprise. 

Hinata reaches out to Ino the next day at the Yamanaka Flower Store and arranges a time for them to meet up. Hinata shares her thoughts and concerns in conversation with Ino. Hinata pulls Ino down onto Ino’s bed in a tangle of limbs and lips. 

Ino loves fast and hard. She finds ways to pull Hinata out of the Hyuuga heiress charicature. She combs and braids Hinata’s silky hair with breathless, laughing conversation. She pulls Hinata on top of her and presses claiming fingers into hard abdominals, soft breasts, and untouched thighs. 

Ino stops growing unnecessary amounts of pink pink roses and chrysanthemums and begins to grow bushels of lavender, bluebells, and nightshade. 

* * *

 

After training one day, Ino lies down next to Shikamaru and sighs up at the clouds. “I have a thing for strays,” she says.

Shikamaru quietly holds her hand. 

Choji hands her a barbeque chip from his snack bag. 


End file.
